Karam leans on wrestling to aid racing career

He then moved on to Iowa, where he had already won three times in various events, and led 67 laps en route to victory.

"I knew I could do it. I raced at Milwaukee and Iowa differently than I did in any other race knowing that I could win. That was the difference," Karam said.

Karam intends to return to Nazareth Area High once the Indy Lights season is finished. He won't play his senior year of football, but he plans on taking one more crack at the state wrestling tournament next winter.

As for racing, Karam's goal is to win the Indy Lights title and hope that's enough to convince sponsors to pay for a full-time IndyCar ride in 2014.

In the meantime he'll be wrestling - which Karam said has been helped by racing too.

"Race car drivers, you have to have good vision. We can make decisions really quick. Our hand movements are also pretty speedy," Karam said. "When I'm in a match and I need to make something happen fast and I need to make a decision quick, racing gives me that advantage."